The Four Corners

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The Four Corners

• The beautiful and unique qualities that make the
  Southwestern United States special.
• Poppy Johnson-Renvall
• Joh2222_at_attglobal.net
• Libr. 500

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An old Spanish saying says

• The lands of the sun expand the
  soul.

Arches National Park, Utah
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Facts about the Southwest

• The area is also called the Four Corners Region
  because it is the only place in the United States
  where four states meet at 90 degree angles.
• These four states are Utah, Colorado, Arizona and
  New Mexico.
• The Area was first inhabited by Pueblo Peoples
  almost 2000 years ago.

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Parks

• The Southwest has the highest concentration of
  parks in America.
• My favorite parks are Bryce Canyon National Park
  in Utah, and White Sands National Park in New
  Mexico.

Bryce Canyon
White Sands
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Cities

• The four capital cities are very unique.
• The cities are
• Salt Lake City, Utah
• Denver, Colorado
• Phoenix, Arizona
• Santa Fe, New Mexico

Salt Lake City, Utah
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Native American Ruins

• There are indigenous ruins scattered all over the
  Four Corners area.
• The most famous are
• Mesa Verde, Colorado
• Chaco Canyon, New Mexico
• Casa Grande, Arizona

Mesa Verde National Park
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European Ruins

• Some of the first Europeans in the area built
  churches, which were destroyed by the Native
  peoples.
• The best preserved church ruins are
• Tumacacori presidio, Arizona
• Salinas Pueblo Missions, Arizona

Tumacacori presidio
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Culture

• The unique blend of Aboriginal, Spanish and
  American influences, make the culture very
  interesting.
• One long standing cultural tradition is pottery.
• Pottery from the Pueblo cultures contains
  geometric designs and animals.

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FoodSome foods are emblematic of the Southwest,
others are not well known

• Chili
• Chili peppers
• Tortillas
• Tacos
• Burritos
• Soppapias (fried bread spread with honey)

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People Some Famous Southwesterners

• Father Kino
• One of the first missionaries
• Brigham Young
• Led the first Mormons into Salt Lake City
• Billy the Kid
• Gunfighter, robber, character in numerous
  western movies!

• J. Robert Oppenheimer
• Inventor of the nuclear bomb
• Willa Cather
• Author of Death Comes for the Archbishop
• Georgia OKeeffe
• Artist most famous for her paintings of
  Southwest landscape

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Animals of the region

• Coyotes
• Road runners
• Armadillos
• Turtles
• Prairie Dogs
• There are also large ranches with cattle

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Truly Unique Aspects

• The City of Los Alamos,
• New Mexico was where the
• Manhattan Project was first
• built, and the town still boasts
• the highest IQ and the highest
• income per capita in the U.S.

Bomb code named Fat Man
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Trivia

• When a server in a restaurant asks you if you
  would like red or green, to what are they
  referring?
• Which city claims to be the longest inhabited
  city in North America?

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Answers

• When a server asks you which color you want to
  eat they are referring to Chili. The Green chili
  side dish is mixed with cumin and cilantro and
  the red chili side dish has smoked chilies in it.
• Santa Fe claims to be the oldest city, first
  inhabited in 1607.

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The End